DISCOVER
Anniversaries by year
This list sets out the traditional wedding anniversary years with themes from the 1st to the 70th anniversary. The best-known milestones, such as Paper, Silver, Gold and Platinum, are widely recognised, while some of the less common later years are drawn from fuller year-by-year lists and may vary slightly between sources. Taken together, they offer a useful guide to the symbols most commonly associated with each anniversary year.
Wedding anniversary gift themes vary between countries and published lists; there is no single universal standard. This guide brings together commonly used UK and US traditions, modern gift alternatives and other published themes. Entries labelled “other theme” are creative alternatives rather than long-established anniversary names. A dash means no widely established theme is given in the traditional or modern lists used for this guide.
| Year | Traditional gift or anniversary symbol | Modern gifts and other themes |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paper | Clocks |
| 2nd | Cotton | China |
| 3rd | Leather | Crystal or glass |
| 4th | Linen or silk (UK convention); fruit or flowers (US convention, also used in UK lists) | Electrical appliances |
| 5th | Wood | Silverware |
| 6th | Sugar or confectionery (UK); iron (US) | Wooden objects |
| 7th | Wool or copper | Desk sets |
| 8th | Bronze or pottery | Linen or lace |
| 9th | Willow or pottery | Leather |
| 10th | Tin or aluminium | Diamond jewellery |
| 11th | Steel | Fashion jewellery |
| 12th | Silk or linen | Pearls or coloured gemstones |
| 13th | Lace | Textiles or fur; faux fur is an alternative |
| 14th | Ivory (historical theme) | Gold jewellery |
| 15th | Crystal | Watches |
| 16th | Wax (included in some later traditional lists) | Silver holloware, such as silver bowls or serving pieces |
| 17th | — | Furniture |
| 18th | — | Porcelain |
| 19th | — | Bronze |
| 20th | China | Platinum |
| 21st | — | Brass or nickel; other theme: fire |
| 22nd | — | Copper; other theme: water |
| 23rd | — | Silver plate; other theme: air |
| 24th | — | Musical instruments; other theme: stone |
| 25th | Silver | Silver |
| 26th | — | Original pictures or artwork |
| 27th | — | Sculpture; other theme: music |
| 28th | — | Orchids; other theme: linens |
| 29th | — | Furniture; other theme: tools |
| 30th | Pearl | Diamond |
| 31st | — | Timepieces; other theme: travel |
| 32nd | — | Conveyances (transport, such as a car or bicycle); other theme: bronze |
| 33rd | — | Amethyst; other theme: iron |
| 34th | — | Opal; other theme: food |
| 35th | Coral (historical theme) | Jade |
| 36th | — | Bone china; other theme: antiques |
| 37th | — | Alabaster; other theme: books |
| 38th | — | Beryl or tourmaline; other theme: luck |
| 39th | — | Lace; other theme: laughter |
| 40th | Ruby | Ruby |
| 41st | — | Land; other theme: office or desk decor |
| 42nd | — | Improved real estate (property improvements); other theme: clocks or watches |
| 43rd | — | Travel; other theme: entertainment |
| 44th | — | Groceries; other theme: electronics |
| 45th | Sapphire | Sapphire |
| 46th | — | An original poetry tribute; other theme: games |
| 47th | — | Books; other theme: garden or plants |
| 48th | — | Optical goods, such as a telescope or binoculars; other theme: home improvement |
| 49th | — | Luxuries; other theme: copper |
| 50th | Gold | Gold |
| 51st | — | Other theme: photos or cameras |
| 52nd | — | Other theme: bath or spa |
| 53rd | — | Other theme: plastic |
| 54th | — | Other theme: glass |
| 55th | Emerald | Emerald |
| 56th | — | Other theme: day |
| 57th | — | Other theme: night |
| 58th | — | Other theme: faith and hope |
| 59th | — | Other theme: charity |
| 60th | Diamond | Diamond |
| 61st | — | — |
| 62nd | — | — |
| 63rd | — | — |
| 64th | — | — |
| 65th | Blue sapphire | Star sapphire (a gemstone-list alternative) |
| 66th | — | — |
| 67th | — | — |
| 68th | — | — |
| 69th | — | — |
| 70th | Platinum | Platinum |
Ivory and coral are included as historical themes, not recommendations to buy those materials. Ivory-coloured, elephant-themed or coral-coloured gifts can be used instead.
